25 Kilometers to Budapest - The Matrix Games version of East Front II

Agard, 25km SW of Budapest Hungary: [Best played as Axis] On Christmas day of 1944, Hitler responded to the Soviet encirclement of Budapest by redeploying the IV SS Panzer Corps from Poland to Hungary. On New Year's Day the two full strength SS Divisions (Totenkopf and Viking) finished detraining northwest of Budapest and launched a surprise attack against the 4th Guards Army inflicting heavy losses. Next the SS Panzer Corps shifted to the southwest and struck again from the Szekesfehervar area, driving east towards the Danube River. By the 24th the SS Divisions were only 25 kilometers southwest of Budapest. But by then additional Russian formations had been shifted into blocking positions south of the city and the Soviets were preparing to counterattack! On the 25th, as the spearhead of the 5th SS "Viking" Division began to thrust the last few kilometers to the city and relieve the siege, it found itself under attack by elements of the 23rd Tank Corps!